Hillsboro Argus letter: Using kids for political gain

It
was disappointing to see Katie Riley use children as a political tool
and not giving people the whole story about why the Commission on
Children and Families was canceled and how it will be replaced ("Washington County needs to invest more in kids," March 31).

It
was not the Washington County Commissioners who cut funding, but her
husband, Chuck Riley, and the Democrat-controlled state legislature in
2009 and 2010, that wanted to consolidate programs that led to the
elimination. Trouble is, the Legislature did not follow through and
fully fund the new programs. Since then, Washington County has been
trying to save services that were and must be state-funded.

Washington
County commissioners, including Andy Duyck and Bob Terry, have been
working hard with the state to fund kids' programs and are close to
being done. The fix would be to work with nonprofits, eliminate the
current programs but make sure the nonprofit replaces them. This would
make sure that these services are continued, but because it would be a
new program Katie Riley would be out of a job.

Katie Riley
advocates for a vote for a levy to have local funding to support kids'
programs, but because of property tax limitations we are at or close to
the top of what we can be taxed. Once we reach the limit then a
confusing tax law comes in that is called "compression." While we can
still vote for more services, because of these tax limits other services
will have to be cut to provide for the new services. So while we fund
kids' programs, we will lose out on such programs as police and fire.
This is what she and others are not telling the public.

Unfortunately,
this seems to be the strategy of the candidates that Katie endorses,
Commission candidates Allen Amabisca and Elizabeth Furse. These
candidates are promising and endorsing many social services ideas, yet
neither has been able to say where the stable funding will come from.
It is a very unpleasant campaign that has much misinformation, innuendos
and false accusations.

It is also unfortunate that
misinformation is out there, for Andy Duyck, Bob Terry and the other
commissioners have done a very good job at funding our services while
balancing the very difficult tax issues. It is very important and a
benefit to us all that they continue to serve.